Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership Annual Report 2023
Executive Summary
The Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership (the Partnership or ECCDPP) was established in August 2022 under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement) to drive transformative action to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
The Partnership supports shared decision-making between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and Australian governments under Priority 1 of the National Agreement, in recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a right to self-determination and are the experts on matters concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
The purpose of the Partnership is for governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parties to develop a joined-up approach to policy that ensures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are born healthy, supported to thrive with strong families and proud in culture. The scope of the Partnership includes outcomes 2, 3, 4, 12 and 13 under the National Agreement, which span maternal and child health, early childhood education and care (ECEC) and child and family safety.
The Partnership held four in-person meetings across Australia in its first 16 months of operation. During this time, the Partnership has focused on establishing a strong foundation for shared decision-making, developing a forward plan to drive progress and engaging with relevant external forums.
The partnership identified six Year 1 priority areas for action to focus its efforts, as below:
- Priority 1: Progress a research project on funding model options for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) that deliver ECEC, including integrated early years services
- Priority 2: Increasing the base entitlement of 30 hours per week of subsidised ECEC for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–5
- Priority 3: Commission research and evidence development on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led models of family support
- Priority 4: A cross-sector project to identify collaborative efforts required to break down siloes and address social determinants of tertiary systems intervention for children and families
- Priority 5: Establishment of a fully empowered and legislated National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Commissioner
- Priority 6: Oversee and require regular reports on progress to implement the outcomes and recommendations of the Stronger ACCOs, Stronger Families review completed by DSS and SNAICC.
Key achievements during the first year include:
- Developing a Year 1 work plan and agreeing on the six priorities
- Commissioning research into funding model options for ACCOs delivering ECEC (Priority 1)
- Commissioning a systematic review into optimal hours of ECEC for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (Priority 2)
- Scoping work to build the evidence base for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led models of family support and opportunities to break down service system silos for families (Priorities 3 and 4)
- Accelerating progress toward the establishment of a fully empowered and legislated National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children with two collaborative workshops held with Safe and Supported governance and the Partnership (Priority 5)
- Engaging with the Productivity Commission’s Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and Inquiry into the ECEC system, to advocate for the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- Promoting information sharing between Partnership members to support a better understanding of work to address Priority Reforms under the National Agreement across jurisdictions